• Home
  • Agric
  • Sci, Tech & Innovation
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Hausa Articles/News
  • More
    • Business/Banking & Finance
    • Politics/Elections
    • Entertainments & Sports
    • International
    • Investigation
    • Law & Human Rights
    • Africa
    • Corruption/Accountability
    • Hassan Gimba
    • Column
    • Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Prof. M.K. Othman
    • Defense/Security
    • Education
    • Energy/Electricity
    • Entertainment/Arts & Sports
    • Society and Lifestyle
    • Food & Agriculture
    • Health & Healthy Living
    • International News
    • Interviews
    • Investigation/Fact-Check
    • Judiciary/Legislature/Law & Human Rights
    • Oil & Gas/Mineral Resources
    • Media/PR/Journalism
    • General News
    • Presidency
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Board Of Advisory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ethics Policy
    • Teamwork And Collaboration Policy
    • Fact-Checking Policy
    • Advertising
  • The Stories
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Experts caution against drinking alcohol to fight cold
  • Lives lost, more trapped as uncompleted building collapses in Kano
  • Buhari, Awujale of Ijebuland’s deaths mark end of great eras – GRV
  • À 92 ans, Biya brigue un huitième mandat alors que le Cameroun se prépare aux élections du 12 octobre
  • Bitcoin blazes past $122K: Ethereum, XRP, and Dogecoin rally amid market optimism
  • Nigerian doctor abroad blames brain drain on healthcare collapse
  • FG orders emergency care reforms at FMC Abuja
  • Cameroon’s 92 year old Biya seeks 8th term as country heads to polls Oct. 12
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
AsheNewsAsheNews
  • Home
  • Agric

    NCRI pushes frontier in zinc-enriched rice seed production through community-driven innovation

    July 13, 2025

    South Sudan’s livestock population outnumber humans in proportion of 3 to 1

    July 12, 2025

    Côte d’Ivoire inaugurates $232m China-backed cocoa grinding plant to boost local processing

    July 12, 2025

    Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa leap: From bean exporter to value creator

    July 12, 2025

    Côte d’Ivoire : De l’exportation brute à la création de valeur – La révolution du cacao est en marche

    July 12, 2025
  • Sci, Tech & Innovation

    Bitcoin blazes past $122K: Ethereum, XRP, and Dogecoin rally amid market optimism

    July 14, 2025

    ABU Enactus team wins €1,500 at 2025 Schneider battery innovation contest in Lagos

    July 9, 2025

    Investments rise in data, AI, outpacing physical assets — UN

    July 9, 2025

    Expert advises on phone anti-theft tools

    July 9, 2025

    Beyond internet connectivity: African voices urge global tech inclusion and innovation

    July 8, 2025
  • Health

    Experts caution against drinking alcohol to fight cold

    July 14, 2025

    Nigerian doctor abroad blames brain drain on healthcare collapse

    July 14, 2025

    FG orders emergency care reforms at FMC Abuja

    July 14, 2025

    Quack doctors threaten public health, says Commissioner

    July 14, 2025

    Nigerian hospitals lose credibility as leaders seek care abroad

    July 14, 2025
  • Environment

    Lives lost, more trapped as uncompleted building collapses in Kano

    July 14, 2025

    Heavy rains, thunderstorms to sweep across Nigeria for 3 days – NiMet

    July 14, 2025

    Dutse selected for major environmental milestone event

    July 12, 2025

    Tinubu backs tough action against state interference in mining – Alake

    July 12, 2025

    Authorities storm illegal mining hotspot after violent clash in Niger

    July 12, 2025
  • Hausa Articles/News

    A Saka Baki, A Sasanta Saɓani Tsakanin ‘Yanjarida Da Liman, Daga Muhammad Sajo

    May 21, 2025

    Dan majalisa ya raba kayan miliyoyi a Funtuwa da Dandume

    March 18, 2025

    [VIDIYO] Fassarar mafalki akan aikin Hajji

    January 6, 2025

    Mafarkin gaisawa da makiyi, Tare da Sheikh Aliyu Y. Sokoto

    January 5, 2025

    [RA’AYI)] Adawar Siyasa A Jihar Sokoto Da Sauran Lamurra

    September 6, 2024
  • More
    1. Business/Banking & Finance
    2. Politics/Elections
    3. Entertainments & Sports
    4. International
    5. Investigation
    6. Law & Human Rights
    7. Africa
    8. Corruption/Accountability
    9. Hassan Gimba
    10. Column
    11. Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim
    12. Prof. M.K. Othman
    13. Defense/Security
    14. Education
    15. Energy/Electricity
    16. Entertainment/Arts & Sports
    17. Society and Lifestyle
    18. Food & Agriculture
    19. Health & Healthy Living
    20. International News
    21. Interviews
    22. Investigation/Fact-Check
    23. Judiciary/Legislature/Law & Human Rights
    24. Oil & Gas/Mineral Resources
    25. Media/PR/Journalism
    26. General News
    27. Presidency
    Featured
    Recent

    Experts caution against drinking alcohol to fight cold

    July 14, 2025

    Lives lost, more trapped as uncompleted building collapses in Kano

    July 14, 2025

    Buhari, Awujale of Ijebuland’s deaths mark end of great eras – GRV

    July 14, 2025
  • About Us
    1. Contact Us
    2. Board Of Advisory
    3. Privacy Policy
    4. Ethics Policy
    5. Teamwork And Collaboration Policy
    6. Fact-Checking Policy
    7. Advertising
    Featured
    Recent

    Experts caution against drinking alcohol to fight cold

    July 14, 2025

    Lives lost, more trapped as uncompleted building collapses in Kano

    July 14, 2025

    Buhari, Awujale of Ijebuland’s deaths mark end of great eras – GRV

    July 14, 2025
  • The Stories
AsheNewsAsheNews
Home»Food & Agriculture»Eliminating Crude Ethanol Imports Through Enhanced Cassava Production
Food & Agriculture

Eliminating Crude Ethanol Imports Through Enhanced Cassava Production

Abdallah el-KurebeBy Abdallah el-KurebeOctober 25, 2017No Comments5 Mins Read
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

By ‎Abdallah el-Kurebe

“Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world, producing about 40 million tons annually. It is one of the richest fermentable substances for the production of crude alcohol/ethanol.” – Foraminifera Market Research

Ethanol is also produced from cassava and is used as fuel, alcoholic beverages, perfumes, cosmetics, medicaments, etc.

Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava but the nation’s annual local demand of ethanol is between 300 and 400 million litres. The country only meets up with three percent of total annual demand. The balance of 97% is presently met through importation, requiring a whooping N160 billion – an expenses that must be curtailed.

Bridging the importation gap

Funded by the United Kingdom Agency for International Development (UKAID), the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) came up with the Cassava Mechanisation and Agro-Processing (CAMAP) project. This brings cassava cluster farmers as producers and processors, who are up-takers, together.

Aimed at encouraging mechanisation thereby growing beyond subsistence, the cassava farmers are provided with farm inputs including fertilisers, insecticides, implement as well as taught best practices, under the project.

According to CAMAP project coordinator, Ayodele David, “A farmer spends 10 days to harvest cassava on a hectare of land while a farmer in India spends less than six hours on the same portion of land under mechanisation.”

He observes that appropriate mechanisation for cassava could support production, processing as well as developing its market along the value-chain.

AATF’s Communication and Partnership officer, Abu Umaru said that “CAMAP initially targeted 3.5 million farmers in five years but the project is so accepted by farmers that the number may be surpassed.

“The project connects cassava farmers with industrial users directly at competitive price,” he stressed.

David further asserts that CAMAP’s goal “is to enhance technologies to ease the production and processing of cassava by farmers thereby boosting food security, incomes and livelihoods for farmers, processors and marketers of the product.”

Umaru said that if traditional planting, harvesting and processing were upgraded, “competitive cassava commodity value-chain and reliable supply of processed cassava food products, including ethanol production, will be assured.”

The Allied Atlantic Distilleries Ltd (AADL) is the first and largest cassava-based ethanol producing plant in Africa and located at Igbesa in Ogun state. It has a 10 million litres installed capacity of ethanol per annum and requires an approximate 240 tons of cassava per day at an average of 10 tons per hour.

Rajasekar Rajavelu, AADL’s director of Agric operations said that CAMAP had facilitated steady daily supply of cassava to meet up with the requirement.

“Our partnership with AATF has assisted in having between 60 and 65 percent of cassava from which we produce nine million litres of quality ethanol per annum. This is a paltry three percent of the requirement.” The company is targeting 25% production of Nigeria’s ethanol requirement by 2022.

He opines that Nigeria risks importing ethanol that is of low quality because ethanol importers ‎are not concerned about quality.

“That the importers of ethanol are only traders means that quality does not occur to them. The imported ethanol has low quality. AADL produces ethanol from cassava varieties that has best ethanol,” Rajavelu said.

Country requirement of ethanol

Rajavelu said that Nigeria’s annual requirement of ethanol is between 300 and 400 million litres.

“Nigeria consumes between 300 and 400 million litres annually. AADL produces a paltry nine million litres (only three percent of total requirement) from fresh cassava tubers from 5,000 out-grower cassava farmers,” he said.

The director added that the company operates within a 150 kilometres radius covering Ogun and Oyo states in partnership with AATF.

“AATF introduced mechanised cassava farming on 1,000 hectares of land. The Foundation is playing a big role in cassava value-chain by way of providing the technology for farmers,” he said.

Farmer support for enhanced production

Farmers working under the CAMAP project are happy with AATF’s introduction of mechanisation for cassava production.

Abdulrazaq Alghazali is the leader of a cluster group of 15 youths that is cultivating a 40-hectare cassava farm at Igunrin village of Iseyin local government of Oyo state.

He said that AATF’s introduction of agricultural mechanisation for smallholder farmers has enhanced the production of cassava beyond subsistence.

“With AATF now, land clearing, planting, spraying and harvesting are done mechanically. For this 40-hectare farmland, AATF provided us with a tractor, plough, planter, sprayer as well as training us to use the tools,” he said.

Challenges

Among the challenges faced by, especially AADL are poor roads network and electricity supply.

The 20-minutes drive to the AADL ethanol factory in Igbesa takes about an hour from Lagos.

“This is a serious threat to our efforts to bridge the import gap of ethanol to Nigeria,” Rajavelu said adding, “Electricity is another challenge. Presently, we rely more on the company’s generating set for constant supply of electricity to enable us meet up with our production target.”

These are areas that state governments, especially Ogun and Oyo should come in, most especially that their farmers and other stakeholders along the cassava value-chain, are direct beneficiaries.

More so, AADL, apart from an employer of labour for Ogun youths, is also a major tax payer to the state government.

Getting rid of environmental pollution

Global warming is threatening the environment. Unlike fossil fuels which emit carbon dioxide contributing to 50 percent greenhouse effect, ethanol is safe, renewable and sustainable.

Government should therefore support mass production of ethanol for fuel. This will assist in depending less on petrol. Ethanol would readily be there as alternative.

As the world gets deeply concerned with the contribution of fossil fuel to environmental pollution, Nigeria should join in the initiatives that would allow for durable and environmental-friendly alternatives such as ethanol.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
Abdallah el-Kurebe
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Related Posts

NCRI pushes frontier in zinc-enriched rice seed production through community-driven innovation

July 13, 2025

South Sudan’s livestock population outnumber humans in proportion of 3 to 1

July 12, 2025

Côte d’Ivoire inaugurates $232m China-backed cocoa grinding plant to boost local processing

July 12, 2025

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Experts caution against drinking alcohol to fight cold

July 14, 2025

Lives lost, more trapped as uncompleted building collapses in Kano

July 14, 2025

Buhari, Awujale of Ijebuland’s deaths mark end of great eras – GRV

July 14, 2025

À 92 ans, Biya brigue un huitième mandat alors que le Cameroun se prépare aux élections du 12 octobre

July 14, 2025
About Us
About Us

ASHENEWS (AsheNewsDaily.com), published by PenPlus Online Media Publishers, is an independent online newspaper. We report development news, especially on Agriculture, Science, Health and Environment as they affect the under-reported rural and urban poor.

We also conduct investigations, especially in the areas of ASHE, as well as other general interests, including corruption, human rights, illicit financial flows, and politics.

Contact Info:
  • 1st floor, Dogon Daji House, No. 5, Maiduguri Road, Sokoto
  • +234(0)7031140009
  • ashenewsdaily@gmail.com
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
© 2025 All Rights Reserved. ASHENEWS Daily Designed & Managed By DeedsTech

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.